Program

After a welcome in the seminar room of the Neanderthal Museum, the participants start with a short-guided tour through the museum. Guided by exhibition manager Melanie Wunsch and community manager Dustin Welper, the Paleo experts will get an overview of the permanent exhibition. Afterwards the social get-together will take place in the museum garden. With barbecue and drinks we let the first meeting come to an end.

So let's get started!

Meeting place: Neanderthal Museum

Time: 4 PM

As inconspicuous and primitive as they may look, stone tools from the Paleolithic are full of technology and know-how! Our ancestors and extinct relatives had to know exactly what to do to make a functioning tool. From raw materials testem, to test hits and teach how it is made, it was all there.

In the pre-workshop, Morgan Roussee, an expert on Paleolithic tools, shows us how Neanderthals and co made tools from flint nodules. An experience that awakens the research and knowledge behind the stone tools.

Meeting place: Steinzeitwerkstatt

Time: 10 AM

This workshop will consist of two parts. In the first part, Prof. M.A. Soressi would like to hear from you why and in which way you think Neanderthal studies are important and useful for today’s society. To steer our conversation, we will use the first episode of the series of videos entitled Neanderthal Legacy (see it here https://youtu.be/Yvmx1bBxUKg). You will be asked to fill in a questionnaire, contribute to the discussion and also reflect on what you would like to see in the second episode of the series.

In the second part of the workshop, it gets even more philosophical with the involvement of Karel Kuipers who is preparing doctorate in philosophy and archaeology. We would like to have an open discussion with you about what exactly a ‘human’ is. What exactly makes a human ‘human’? Many scholars look for the origin of humankind, the origins of our own species. However, there have been many other hominins in our lineage; where should we draw the line of what counts as a ‘human’ or not? Finally, we would like to hear how you think philosophy of science can inform and/or impact society.

Meeting place: Administration Museum

Time: 1 PM

What if…you had never heard of human evolution and you were suddenly standing face to face with a Neanderthal? Would it be like meeting a scary wild animal, or more like a new neighbour, from another country maybe? The idea that our ancestors once encountered another human species fascinates not only researchers, it has also provided inspiration for science fiction since the discovery of the first Neanderthal fossil in 1856. In this workshop we start imagining and will meet some of the famous Neanderthals of the museum.

Let your imagination run wild!

Meeting place: Administration Museum

Time: 3 PM

Neanderthals also found their way to Hollywood.

We meet our close relatives in numerous fictional films, TV shows and cartoons. But what aspects of Neanderthal existence are conveyed in these films? What were the filmmakers guided by and how much truth is there in these films?

In our group Movie Night we will watch excerpts from well-known Neanderthal films and want to get to the bottom of these questions. Susan Peeters and Dustin Welper will accompany the evening and will be available with expertise from philosophy, archaeology and anthropology for all discussion questions.

So there will be plenty to talk about, popcorn and drinks.

Meeting place: Neanderthal Museum

Time: 6 PM

Reconstructing humans of any species and genus requires an incredibly detailed knowledge of anatomy, morphology, gestures and facial expressions. To get a better understanding of the working processes of Alfons and Adrie Kennis and to understand how to tell something about the former person from bones, Dustin Welper offers a pre-workshop in anthropology.

In 1.5 hours we will get an overview of the working methods of anthropology and how skeletons tell researchers age at death, morphological sex, diseases and much more.

Meeting place: Steinzeitwerkstatt

Time: 12 PM

The fact that we can look Neanderthals in the face today, that we can see them smile and become curious about their history, is thanks to Alfons and Adrie Kennis. The dutch twins are world famous for their paleo reconstructions. Their reconstructions have made it onto the cover of National Geographic twice. They are also well-known visitors to the Neanderthal Museum. Many of today's Neanderthal and human reconstructions were created by the two brothers. Among them is MR. 4 %, which makes it clear to the visitor that traces of the Neanderthals can still be found in us today.

We take the chance of their visit and ask them what we always wanted to know about the reconstructions.

Meeting place: Administration Museum

Time: September 28th, 2024 at 3 PM

For one last time, we sit together. In our wrap-up session we summarize our joint project. We look at all aspects that particularly interested us in the Neanderthal research, share our feedback and use the last chances for discussions and questions.

Meeting place: Administration Museum

Time: 3 PM